A Carefree Afternoon
by Silvan Arrow
Summary: Aragorn, the twins, and Legolas take a day to have fun, and Aragorn remembers the day he first learned to swim. A friendship fic.


A Carefree Afternoon

Author's Note: Hey, it's Silvan Arrow! I'm new to and this is the first LOTR story that I've posted. My classmates kept asking me to let them read my stories, so I decided to write this to ease their curiosity. Here's the disclaimer: I do not own LOTR or any of its characters. Enjoy the story!

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Lord Elrond sat quietly in his study, going over his latest paperwork. His brow furrowed in concentration as he read over yesterday's reports from his scouts. Orcs were roaming closer to the Bruinen river, the very same river that he controlled, and this caused the elf lord grave concern. Elrond glanced down at Vilya, the Ring of Air, on his finger and thought of the responsibility that comes with bearing a Ring of Power. He still remembered the day King Gil-galad bestowed upon him this heavy burden, just before he lost his life at the end of the Second Age. A knock at the door made Elrond jerk his head up. "Come in," he called.

"Now this is an all-too familiar sight, my old friend. How long do you intend on pouring over those papers?" A smile tugged at the corners of Elrond's mouth. Somehow Gandalf could always find some way to cheer him up on a gloomy day.

"Welcome, Mithrandir," Elrond replied, turning in his chair to face the grey wizard. "I did not expect to see you back so early."

Gandalf turned a serious gaze upon his old friend as he sat in an overstuffed chair. "A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to." (I disclaim that quote from the movie Fellowship of the Ring). Gandalf held Elrond in his gaze for several long moments before both friends started laughing.

"Well, whatever you are up to, I am happy to see you, mellon-nin my friend ," Elrond stated, still laughing. "Estel and the twins will be delighted as well."

"Speaking of which, where are those mischievous sons of yours?" Gandalf asked, looking around the room and expecting one of them to come barreling through the doorway at any moment. "I have noticed that it is much too quiet in your halls today."

Elrond leaned back in his chair and explained, "Legolas arrived yesterday from Mirkwood for a visit, so the four of them have gone out for a day of swimming." He paused for a moment and added, "Quite frankly, I am grateful for the day of peace and quiet. It lets me catch up on this stack of papers," indicating the one-foot stack with a sweep of his hand.

"Well, I'm in no hurry, at least not yet," Gandalf said, leaning back into the cushions and pulling out his pipe.

Elrond wrinkled his nose as the Istari pulled out a pouch of pipeweed. "Must you smoke that foul-smelling weed in here?"

Gandalf calmly lit his pipe, inhaled deeply, and exhaled a perfect smoke ring. "Then I suggest you hurry with those papers…And I will have you know that this is the best pipeweed in the entire Shire." Elrond sighed and returned to his paperwork. He began transcribing an ancient document, which had faded over the years, while trying to ignore the smell of that pipeweed. Sometimes that wizard was impossible.

The sun shone through clear blue skies upon the forests of Imladris. About a mile away from the Last Homely House lay a cool, glassy lake, surrounded on all sides by the lush, green forest canopy. Today laughter floated through the trees around the lake as three elves and a human played in the water. Well, make that two elves. One particular prince of Mirkwood was being stubborn.

"Come on it, Legolas! The water's great!"

Legolas rolled his eyes at his human friend, who was currently doing the backstroke around the lake's perimeter. "I already told you, Estel, I don't want to come in just yet. You humans are so impatient."

"Prissy elf."

"Stubborn human." Legolas lay back on the bank again and stretched out. At the moment he was enjoying lying on the grass and feeling the warmth of the sun as it alighted on his face. He tuned his senses into the whisperings of the trees, who were bidding him welcome into their home. Compared to Mirkwood, formally known as Greenwood the Great, this was like Valinor. Lately fell creatures like Wargs and spiders were invading the forest and tainting the once-great forest with the shadow of Mordor. Such evil had not befallen the kingdom of Imladris, at least not yet. Not as long as Lord Elrond still bore Vilya. He placed his hands under his head and allowed himself to doze off. Yes, today was a good day. So peaceful. So relaxing…SPLASH! A small wave of water smacked Legolas in the face and caused him to bolt upright, still sputtering water. He glared at the three culprits, who were laughing hysterically.

"Now that you are thoroughly wet, would you feel like taking a refreshing swim?" Aragorn asked teasingly.

Legolas smiled innocently at the human. Too innocently. "Why, yes, that does sound like fun." He pulled off his outer tunic and dove into the water, barely leaving a ripple on its surface. Aragorn yelped in surprise as he was suddenly pulled under. He re-emerged moments later, coughing and sputtering. Legolas popped up next, laughing at his friend's unkempt appearance. "You look like you jumped off a waterfall!"

"Now you're in for it!" Aragorn shot back as he commenced chasing the elf back and forth across the lake.

Elladan and Elrohir watched from the sidelines as Aragorn tried and failed to catch Legolas. "Should we help our little brother, Elladan?"

"Nay, I think it would be more fun to watch them fight it out and then attack both of them," Elladan replied with a mischievous grin.

"Agreed."

After several minutes Aragorn gave up his pursuit of Legolas, too tired to keep going. "I…give…up," he panted between breaths.

Legolas floated on his back and casually kicked his way back to Aragorn. "You humans tire too easily, Estel. I expected more out of you." Aragorn was about to tackle the elf, but suddenly both friends were assaulted by splashes of water. The twins were splashing them furiously, laughing the whole time.

"Shall we take them?" Aragorn asked.

"Yes, let's," Legolas agreed. Both of them slipped under the water and snuck up on the twins while they were still busy splashing. Both twins yelped as Legolas and Aragorn pulled them under water.

All four friends emerged a few moments later coughing and laughing at the same time. "You will pay for that, little brother!" Elladan exclaimed.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Aragorn shot back before swimming away.

"Do not think you will escape either, Legolas!" Elrohir added. Legolas joined his friend while the twins pursued them across the lake.

The sun began to lean to the horizon when they finally decided to call it a day. The four of them lay on the bank enjoying the sunset. "It has been far too long since I had a carefree afternoon," Legolas remarked.

"Yes, we have been busy here too," Elrohir said. "Yrch orcs have been coming closer to Imladris lately, and we have had to keep them at bay."

"Let us not trouble ourselves with worries today, my friends," Aragorn interjected. "Let's just enjoy this day while we still can." He sat up and looked out over the lake. This place brought back many memories for him, but the one he would remember the most was the day he learned to swim.

Flashback

Six-year-old Estel eyed the water warily. The lake looked so big to his tiny mind. He had rarely ventured out of his Ada's Father's house, and now this lake was an intimidating obstacle. Elladan knelt down next to him. "What's wrong, Estel? Are you afraid of the water?"

Estel shook his head. He hated admitting that he was afraid, especially to his two big brothers. Elves weren't scared of anything, at least that's what he thought. He turned his silver eyes on his brother and tried to sound confident: "I'm not scared as long as you're with me!"

Elrohir knelt on Estel's other side and ruffled the boy's hair. "Then let's begin. I promise you will love swimming." The twins guided Estel into the shallow water and helped him get used to holding his breath. Once he was comfortable with that skill Elladan carried him out into the deeper water, where he couldn't touch the bottom. Elrohir stood close by, ready to help should Estel need him.

Elladan had Estel lie on his back, and he held him up with his hands to help him float. "You're doing great, Estel. Now I'm going to let go, and you just keep floating. Okay?"

"O-okay," Estel replied a little warily. He closed his eyes as Elladan slid his hands out from under his back. He waited to go under, to feel the cold waters close in around him like a steel trap…but nothing happened. He opened one eye warily and looked at his brothers. Both of them had their hands up to show that they weren't helping him. A big grin broke out over Estel's face. "I-I'm doing it! I'm swimming!"

"You're doing great, Estel!" Elrohir cheered. Estel learned quickly after that, and by the end of the afternoon he was chasing his brothers back and forth across the lake.

Lord Elrond sat at his desk reviewing some ancient documents from the Second Age. It was his duty to ensure that these precious historical artifacts survived for generations to come. He was about to begin copying it to a fresh parchment when he heard the door slam open and a pair of small feet pound up the stairs. Wet feet, to be precise. Elrond sighed. So much for his day of peace and quiet. He had gotten used to this routine by now, and he had quickly grown to love Estel as his own son.

"Ada! Ada! Guess what!" Estel exclaimed excitedly as he bounded into Elrond's study and jumped onto the elder elf's lap, still soaking wet from his day of swimming.

Elrond tried hard not to grimace as his clothes were soaked by his over-zealous son. Instead, he smiled at the boy and asked, "What is it, Estel? Why are you so excited?"

"Elladan and Elrohir taught me how to swim! I got really good at it too!" Estel exclaimed, bouncing up and down on his father's lap.

"That's wonderful, Estel. I'm proud of you," Elrond replied, placing his hands on Estel's shoulders. Estel beamed at his father's praise. A sound caught Elrond's attention. The elf lord looked up and saw his twins, also wet from swimming, standing in the doorway chuckling. "And what may I ask is so humorous?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Estel, you are still soaking wet," Elrohir stated between laughs. "And you are getting Ada wet too."

Estel looked down at Elrond's clothes and hurriedly jumped off. "I'm sorry, Ada! Please forgive me."

Elrond saw the guilt in his son's eyes and knelt down in front of him, still smiling. "It's all right, Estel. Now go wash up for dinner." He stood up as the boy rushed down the hall to his room. He looked over his twins and said, "Off with you two as well. You look like you were chased by a pack of Wargs."

"Or by Estel. He's a bundle of nonstop energy," Elrohir remarked with a chuckle. "I shall see you at dinner, Ada." With that, he left for his own room.

Elladan lingered, taking in his father's soaked appearance. "I'm sorry about that, Ada. I'll go get you some dry clothes."

Elrond smiled and said, "No, don't worry about it. I'll take care of myself. Now go." Elladan quickly departed. As the elf lord entered his bed room he thought to himself, 'Some things never change.'

End flashback

Elrond sat across from Gandalf on the couch in his study, catching up on old times. He had finally gotten through that mountain of paperwork and now was thoroughly enjoying talking with the old wizard. However, the sound of the door slamming open interrupted the peace once again. Elrond sighed. "They're back."

He heard four sets of feet pound up the steps before turning to take in the water-soaked figure of Aragorn standing in the doorway. The twins and Legolas quickly crowded behind him. "What is it, Estel?" he asked.

"Um…we're back," Aragorn replied sheepishly.

Elrond raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I can see that. I can also see that the four of you are dripping wet on my clean floors."

However, Aragorn quickly forgot about his Ada when he saw Gandalf. His face lit up. "Gandalf! You're back!"

"Mithrandir!" the three elves exclaimed.

Gandalf chuckled. "Yes, I came to pay Lord Elrond a visit and to see how you all were faring as well, although I did not expect to see you in your present state."

Elrond got up and shooed them out the door. "Go get yourselves cleaned up. We will see you at dinner." The four friends reluctantly obeyed and trudged down the halls to their rooms. Four doors closed in rapid succession.

Elrond tried to suppress a chuckle as we moved back to the couch. Gandalf raised an eyebrow. "And what do you find so humorous?" the wizard asked.

Elrond smiled as he sat back down and locked eyes with his old friend. "Some things never change."

End

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Author's Rant: Well, I'm done. I hope you enjoyed it. Please read and review! I will take any input, even flames, to help improve my writing. 


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